


High and Dry

by TinklePopo



Category: Litchi Hikari Club | Lychee Light Club
Genre: F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Scars, just ignore this fic if you dont like it, so most of the hikari club members might not even show up, then moving on, this fic isn't about the past, this is about acknowledging the past and learning of it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-05-21 04:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6037756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinklePopo/pseuds/TinklePopo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tamiya Hiroshi knew of adulthood and accepted it; even during his younger years, when he (along with a few of his peers) desperately tried to fight maturity. Now, he lives by your side, willfully trying to move on from his past. You, on the other hand, let your curiosity dive into whatever dark, dangerous abyss of secrets it wants. Being a journalist, it's only second nature to you. However, opening the Pandora's Box of your boyfriend's past may prove how you've bitten off more than you can chew...</p><p>[ Warning! This is NOT an Everybody Lives AU! ]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Out of the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for checking this out! have fun reading ♥
> 
> [edit] I fixed a few problems/inconsistencies in this chapter. hope you enjoy!

It had been a while since he had thought of Keikou. In fact, he’d rather forget about it entirely but the human mind does not operate so simply, especially on such a traumatic whim. Eight years have passed and Tamiya still feels the emotional and mental scars quite freshly; just as his physical scars…his burns…will seemingly never go away naturally. He craved solace, and temporarily found it within you. His girlfriend.

Your relationship with him was new in every way, considering how he never had any interest in dating prior to just a couple of years ago. People have kept professional or polite relationships with him, but the second he expressed an interest in romance or intimacy, he was turned down. Most likely due to his scarred skin, which carried burdens that were far more impactful than just his depressing memories. Without a proper explanation, people assume the worst when one has such scars. Finding someone who would hire him proved to be difficult because of this. However, when and if he took the time to attempt to explain himself to others, he would just get _the look_. Pity mixed with a tinge of shock, most of said emotions, if not all, expressed in their eyes. He’s built up unbreakable boundaries against these moments just for the sake of him keeping his sanity.

Tamiya had never really felt the cold clutches of expenses grip him until tragedy struck his tender and small family, beginning with the club’s interference. The day he rushed Dafu to the hospital by his own actions, when he found Tamako…counseling was desperately needed. But professional counseling came with a price. Hospital services as well. _We don’t have enough money for that_. It slipped over his shoulders and into his ears, sticking to his mind and integrating itself there forever. Tamiya would simply have to work hard to compensate for that.

When he was younger, there was an array of jobs that Tamiya worked while being able to avoid social obligations. Humble beginnings as a paper boy, a janitor at a variety of buildings, and even a construction worker.  However, in over half a year, you come along and change things up a bit for him. He lands a better job at an office due to your connections from being a journalist for a popular magazine. He moves to Sapporo, a city that proves itself to be nothing like Keikou in all the correct ways. Away from his family, away from Keikou, away from his past. He makes a considerably greater amount of money than ever before, so he sends as much as he can to his mother as often as possible.

Occasionally, as if a steady light is lit within a dark room, he feels a sort of gratuity that spreads throughout his stressed and exhausted being. It’s a wonderful feeling that helps him forget about things, even if just for a second. He questions whether this is caused by his current circumstances or solely by your presence alone. He’d never noticed the factors that played into his feelings in those moments, so he didn’t give it much thought.

Sighing, he untwined himself from your warm embrace and slipped out of the bedsheets. Tamiya had to get ready for work, regardless of how much he wanted to sink back into the comfort of the bed. Yawning and scratching at an itch absentmindedly, he padded toward the bathroom to begin his morning routine. You got two days off throughout the week, although you were to be on call if needed. Today was one of your days off, so he let you rest. He’ll be back by nine thirty-five, as always. Every day except Fridays, the other day you had off. Tamiya had never been the type to like or dislike a schedule, but boy did he really know what it’s like to have one now.

 

“Mmm…Tamiya?” Your voice rose up, muffled by the pillow that you snuggled into. Adjusting his tie, Tamiya turned around to glance down at your form.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Can I stay here longer? Or are you gonna kick me out before you leave?” A halfhearted yawn separated your questions, and your words were slightly mumbled. You shift over and slowly prop yourself up on an elbow. Stepping closer and leaning in to meet your kiss halfway, a gentle laugh escapes past his lips and into the kiss.

 

“Of course,” He pulled away and answered, brushing a few strands of hair out of your eyes. “But now you have to clean _everything_ for me.”

 

You let out a harsh, exaggerated sigh and flopped back onto the pillow. Tamiya flashed you a grin and pressed one more kiss to your forehead before leaving you to your own devices.


	2. It's So Easy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe, I like hall and oates a lot!
> 
> I actually wrote this a few days after I finished writing the first chapter (which was published a few weeks after it was written...gotta go through the timeline mentally lol) so I kinda feel bad about the delay. hope you enjoy! ♥

Your late morning nap was interrupted a few minutes in by the sharp jingle of your ringtone. Inhaling slowly, you rose to snatch it off the nightstand and answer with a mumbled, “Hello?”

One of your coworkers’ voice responded through the speaker. “Ah! Good morning, sleepyhead. I need you to come in and take a look at these old records and see if they’re important enough to keep. We’re cleaning the storage room out for more space, so…yeah.”

“Whuh? You want me to do your cleaning?” A certain someone’s voice rang in your mind at the thought of cleaning today. Smiling fondly, you turned over and climbed out of the bed.

“Well…yes…nobody else was available, sorry. You’re the chosen one, yay!” An awkward laugh followed their jocular, teasing tone. You sighed, and confirmed your arrival to be in a few minutes. The office was just around the corner, after all. Hanging up the phone, you skittered back over to the bed and made it up quickly before leaving to get ready at your own apartment. If you weren’t going to make it back before he got home, at least this shows you made an effort!

______________

 

When you showed up your coworker, the one whom you spoke on the phone with, was the only person present on that floor. Upon entering the storage room, you were blocked by stacks of boxes that contained various papers. _Oh boy,_ you thought irritably to yourself as your spirits deflated slightly at the sight. Your peer let out a laugh after getting a glance at your facial expression, then quickly began to explain the details of the task.

“Just save anything after a decade or so ago. You already know what the hot stories were, so try to keep those intact if you come across them. Oh…and…hmm, save all the photos. If they don’t have captions, put them off to the side.” They mentally checked a list of orders and nodded occasionally. Gently picking up a photo of a dog and cat sitting next to two middle aged adults, you studied it for a moment before starting the pile of “No Caption” photos while they finished up explaining.

“Oh, yeah! And no keeping any of this stuff. You know how it is…Haha,” You shrugged and figured that none of this stuff was interesting enough to keep anyway.  Sheepishly grinning and bidding you goodbye, your coworker left with the door shut behind them. Time to get to work!

 

The storage room was decently small, but the boxes of papers and photos were considerably large in comparison. Roughly two hours into your work with nothing but your music and thoughts to occupy you (and many times you wondered what your coworker was so busy doing instead of this…), you dug your hand around to grab a stack of photos. Lifting them into the air, a flap of paper alerted you of a fallen slip. You carefully picked it up and examined it, immediately gaping as your eyes fell upon an incredibly familiar name. _Tamiya Hiroshi…_

Completely alert now, you scrambled to sit up. You skimmed the text before determinedly searching for any possible photos to go with it. Placing the slip of information gently on top of a closed box, you now used both of your free hands to scrounge around for any material on your boyfriend. You came across a handful of photos that had names from the article written as captions.  [ _Naritoshi Ishikawa_ ], another caption read. After a few more seconds of digging, you picked out a picture with the caption, [ _Tamiya Hiroshi Before the Incident_ ]. It was a worn, grainy image of a young boy, whom you assumed to be your lover in his younger years. You had never heard of any incidents involving him, but you had heard a few references to a mess involving a couple of boys in a city named Keikou. In fact, said source of references was resting beneath another paper. You picked it up and looked over the article; a group of boys found missing, their photos were shown at the bottom (in your case, under another pile of photos you’d have to look through). _Just what kind of life did Tamiya live there…?_

Nibbling on your bottom lip, you brought your attention back to the article that contained information involving Tamiya:

_Two boys, Tamiya Hiroshi and Naritoshi Ishikawa, were caught in a fire whilst playing with matches in a wooded area. Speculation upon the spontaneity of the situation has led to the dangers of starting fires without proper supervision. “Keikou is a city that produces a lot of flammable material all around, so it is advised to keep a good watch on your kids in case they get their hands on some matches,” Local firefighter, Makoto Tachibana, informs the media, “You wouldn’t want to burn down the town!” Now resting in the hospital, Tamiya and Naritoshi are expected to recover in a few months, based upon the severity of their burns._

“That’s it?” You spoke out loud, muddled in your thoughts. You expected a bit more on him, but seeing the story, it most likely wouldn’t even make it to the first few pages. If it did, it surely wouldn’t be printed very large.

There were a lot of things that you desperately wished Tamiya would confide in you about, but you never pried. Obviously, his burns show that he was caught in _some_ sort of happening! Closing your eyes and sighing, you pressed two fingers to your temple. You understood that Keikou was a place that was and still is riddled with crime that often goes under the noses of authorities, and that Tamiya grew up there, but you knew not of Tamiya’s past there. Curiosity burned at the back of your mind, brandishing itself with new ideas. You figured that grabbing a few articles related to the place couldn’t hurt – after all, learning anything new about your boyfriend appealed to you.

Anything that mentioned Keikou, you snatched up and carefully placed in your bag. You came across only four articles total and a handful of pictures that matched the names on said various writings. Excitement spurred you onward to hurriedly complete your task and rush home to formulate a plan on approaching him. _Hopefully he knows something about this,_ you grinned to yourself.


End file.
